Mastering Primary History

Karin Doull, Christopher Russell, Alison Hales

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781474295581
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Historia de la educación

Mastering Primary History introduces the primary history curriculum and helps trainees and teachers learn how to plan and teach inspiring lessons that make learning history irresistible. Topics covered include:
· Current developments in history
· History as an irresistible activity
· History as a practical activity
· Skills to develop in history
· Promoting curiosity
· Assessing children in history
· Practical issues This guide includes examples of children's work, case studies, readings to reflect upon and reflective questions that all help to show students and teachers what is considered to be best and most innovative practice, and how they can use that knowledge in their own teaching to the greatest effect. The book draws on the experience of three leading professionals in primary history, Karin Doull, Christopher Russell and Alison Hales, to provide the essential guide to teaching history for all trainee primary teachers.

Chapter 1

An Introduction to Primary History

Chapter objectives

• the importance of history

• what does history look like?

• what is history all about?

‘History’, according to Henry Ford, in an article in the Chicago Tribune on 25 May 1916, ‘is more or less bunk’. Interviewed at the time of the First World War, his famous statement is accompanied by the observation that ‘the men who are responsible for the present war in Europe know all about history’. Within this context, and considering how horrific the war, that was underway, was, this last point is arguably true, especially from the standpoint of an industrial modernist. These men knew their history and were still prepared to ignore it and inflict more pain and misery upon the people of Europe and the wider world. However, Ford’s initial point, ‘History is more or less bunk’, when taken as an isolated statement, as it often is, demands further examination.

This chapter aims to establish the importance of history, what history looks like in primary schools and, indeed, explore what history is actually all about.

So, what is history?

The Roman philosopher Cicero is credited with defining history as the ‘witness that testifies to the passing of time, it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity’ (1889). This is a significant reference. It refers to a number of attributes of history that are particularly pertinent. The explicit links to ‘daily life’ and ‘reality’, serve as recognition of the impact of the past upon our everyday lives, and how the events of the past not only shape our reality, but also inform our conditions and reactions in our day-to-day lives. The phrases ‘vitalizes memory’ and ‘tidings of antiquity’ can be seen as recognition of our own personal engagements with history, whether they be those of personal histories, living memories, a personal nostalgia, links to your local area or your family history.

English Historian, R. G. Collingwood explains that ‘the value of history … is that it teaches us what man has done and thus, what man is’ (1946). A feeling of learning from the past pervades this definition and is further supported by E. H. Carr, who explains that ‘the function of the historian is neither to love the past nor emancipate himself from the past, but to master and understand it as the key to the understanding of the present’ (1961), which is evidence still further of the belief that the past has much to tell us of our own lives and that of our futures.

More recently, popular historians have offered their views as to what history is. TV’s Dan Snow, who through the multifaceted ‘History Hit’, brings history to a large audience, tells us that ‘history is everything that has ever happened on the planet’ (HistoryHit.com).

Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, who is a well-known historian through her numerous books and television series, alludes to historical enquiry when she tells us that ‘if we reach out a hand across the centuries, we find that our ancestors are very much like us in the ways they lived, loved and died’ (2011). Reaching out a hand suggests the investigative nature of asking questions and being involved in the process of finding out about the past. While Suzannah Lipscomb offers the idea that history is about understanding yourself, she is recalling the ideas of Collingwood, when she posits that ‘history is the story of who we are and how we’ve got to be there. So it is fundamentally important in our sense of ourselves’ (Lipscomb cited in Sanderson 2013).

For historians, the study of the past is a puzzle that leads to a greater understanding of our world. The study of the characters of the past, their decision-making and the impact of those decisions upon our lives can be seen as the crux of what history is.

Why study history?

Pause for thought

Why should children study history?

Why is history in the primary school curriculum important?

The relevance of studying history is paramount to our understanding of the world. The discipline of history means that learners become inquisitive, and they are keen to examine the past and are diligent and thorough in their work. Their driven passion for history is forged through their understanding of the subject and a curiosity in examining the ways in which the past is represented. Studying history develops skills and sensibilities that are transferable and will have an influence in other aspects of our lives and those of our children.

History is all around us. It is inescapable from the badges on our school uniforms, to the emblems of major companies, the insignia of the Royals on various household products, pillar boxes as well as the crests of many of our favourite football teams, a sense of the past is a large and relevant part of our everyday lives. Even the recent phenomenon of ‘selfies’ can be seen as being part of this tradition of recording memories and documenting events. Perhaps not every ‘selfie’ is essential, and some may never leave the device they were taken on, but some ‘selfies’ record the special moments in people’s lives, whether that is a significant birthday, such as an eighteenth, or a memorable night out with friends.

Documents, in all their forms, make up the raw materials for historians to study the past and piece together the lives and times of our forefathers. This means that our understanding of the past begins with each individual. For instance, how would you describe yourself to a new acquaintance? Chances are, your response will be steeped in the experiences you have had, whether they be travel, food, musical tastes or reading habits. It is your personal history that makes you you and that’s what defines you. Of course, we are talking about you now in the twenty-first century as you read this, but the history of the world is made up of millions of personal histories. Some have combined to become the histories of major events and celebrated historical occasions of the past.

Types of history

There are different types of histories that we can explore. We have already made mention of a few of these (personal history, local history). Some of these histories are concerned with particular groups of people, so you may study, for example; women’s history, children’s history, black history, American history or modern European history. In studying these areas, we will investigate political points of view, people’s struggles with authority and disputes over land and rights. Other studies in history may be more concerned with domestic life in the past. We may look at living con ditions, day-to-day life, toys, leisure pursuits and pastimes and the experiences of ‘ordinary’ people. This has come to be termed as social history.

Pause for thought

What are your experiences of aspects of history in your education?

What approaches to the teaching of history have you observed and encountered?

Recognition of these types of histories combine to inform us about our current position in the world and how we come to be where we are. An understanding of the integrity of the subject of history is paramount in understanding why studying history is important in the first place.

School history

As we have seen, history is the story of our past, as defined and created by the actions and decisions of those that have gone before us. In its simplest form, history is the what, who, when, where and why of the past. What happened, who did it happen to, when did it happen and where did it happen? This is then reflected upon, discussed and analysed as we ask, why did it happen?

In primary schools, there is an opportunity for history lessons to focus upon the exciting exploits and adventures of the people of the past. These stories can capture the children’s imaginations and they can throw themselves, wholeheartedly, into the life and times of these colourful characters that populate a world full of intrigue, war, power struggles, myths and legends and with danger at every turn.

Pause for thought

Which characters from history would you focus on? Which exploits and adventures, from history, do you remember from your history lessons at school? Why do these people stand out? Can you think of someone from history that you have studied in the past?

However, we need to exercise caution at this point, for while history can be seen as the stories of the past. We need to also provide opportunities for the children to not only be immersed in the stories of the past, but also become engaged in the processes of finding out about the past. Good primary school history should see the pupils working as historians.

The content of history and the process of history

The subject of history can be seen in two ways. First, there is the knowledge associated with certain events and topics. These are facts and details of the past, the kings and queens, explorers and lives of significant people at certain periods of time. We can think of this information as the dates, key facts and knowledge of historical points of reference that would be useful in a pub quiz. Knowing and recalling facts and figures is certainly impressive and may be associated with ‘being clever’, but that is not the whole story of being a historian. The second element as to what the subject of history is concerned with is the understanding of historical events. This means understanding why something happened, what caused it as well as understanding the consequences of the actions of others in the past. This understanding comes through enquiry and investigation with historians engaged in research in order to provide a picture of the past.

This has previously been explored (Russell 2016) with school history seen as a combination of both the content of history and the process of history. The content of history is the subject knowledge, the facts, details and dates, while the process of history is concerned with the ‘process’ of finding out about the past. This involves lines of enquiry, investigations, engaging with source materials and making deductions.

Across a scheme of work, the aim for teachers is to provide opportunities for the children to be involved in both the content and process of history. For example, children at Key Stage 1, who are studying a topic that covers ‘events beyond living memory’ (DfE 2013) may well be learning about the Great Fire of London. In a scheme of work, such as this, the children would learn facts about the Great Fire of London, such as the date the fire started (2 September 1666), the road where it started (an alley off Pudding Lane) and the name of the baker, in whose premises the fire started (Thomas Farriner) but the children may also be asked to investigate the context for the fire, and contributing factors for the spread of the fire and techniques in firefighting. This may lead to looking at the weather conditions, building materials as well as the legacy of the fire, the impact the fire had on the street layout of London, the impact upon fire insurance and firefighting.

Table 1.1 highlights the facts that can be considered as the content of history, along with the lines of enquiry that are in alignment with the ideas of the process of history. These lines of enquiry encourage children to investigate the Great Fire using source materials, making judgements, sifting through evidence and drawing conclusions.

Table 1.1 The Great Fire of London

The history curriculum in primary school

By looking at a topic such as the Great Fire of London means that we have already considered one of the biggest influences as to what primary school history is. The History Programmes of Study: Key Stages 1 and 2 (DfE 2013) is a defining document in shaping the history that occurs in the classroom, which is perhaps why there is so much debate as to what the content of the history curriculum should be and how, for that matter, it should be taught.

The national curriculum

The national curriculum for history as set out in the 2014 curriculum is the product of much debate (Arthur and Philips 2000, Taylor 2013, Russell 2016) and provides clear guidance as to the expectations as to what history should look like in the classroom. The History Programmes of Study: Key Stages 1 and 2 (DfE 2013) outlines a purpose of study that alludes as to much of what we recognize good history teaching to be about. Here the children should encounter ‘a high-quality history education’ and will ‘gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world’ (DfE 2013). Such documents are often open to interpretation and here the word ‘coherent’ could be the catalyst to a number of discussions. It could be included in this document in reference to the findings of the 2011 ‘History for All’ Ofsted report (Ofsted 2011) that found that while children’s subject knowledge was good, their chronological understanding was less secure. By desiring a coherent knowledge within the subsequent curriculum, one can interpret that this is a response to the findings of the document, with coherent knowledge referring to a deeper chronological understanding. This recognition of the strong subject knowledge the children have gained means that another interpretation for the inclusio...